I haven't had a chance to go through the catalog in much detail yet. I do know that I'm looking forward to giving the Uebel instruments another good toot. They are often tucked away in a corner of the third floor, I think. Also getting to the Yamaha booth and them maybe seeing if Legere is giving out any samples. I still haven't been interested enough to fork over for one of the newer European model reeds. Past that I'm not sure... cruise by Buffet and see if they've brought instruments with them that actually are ready to play?

I"ll be there, but there is nothing that I haven't played or owned. So I'm basically going to see the craziness that is 50 companies making saxophones, and maybe some new PA system things. Maybe I'll get an answer to the question "who buys all this stuff?" It is in LA so there is always hookers and blow!

I had a booth there for a few years. It's 3/4's of a million people walking through there. It's just not fun. As far as testing out horns it's kind of gross. All of those 1000's of players blowing through the horns. Then the sound levels. Well good luck hearing the quality of the finest horns! Some companies have rooms that are soundproof to a point, but even then the rooms are pretty dead and you can't hear a thing.

I hear you, Bob. It's been three years since I went last, so it's time to make an appearance. I'm mostly looking forward to running into old friends and seeing some of the All-Southern honor group rehearsals. Some of my students placed very well this particular year and I want to hear the groups in rehearsal since I can't stick around for the concert on Sunday. As for so many people playing the instruments, it's all a matter of blow - don't suck.

The last time I had a booth there wasn't that long ago 2016. I was in a horrible area and I did see several booths close down because they broke the sound barrier! Decibel readings were too high do NAMM kicked them out.

At the clarinet convention there was this one player trying out a horn playing the same passage trying to hit high C and failing for 2 hours. I went over to the booth and asked the salesman if he could end this somehow. Sadly he said no. The player was in his 70's not that this has anything to do with this as we all know there are killer players at the age of 70 and above. The funny part is this was right next to the Vandoren booth and Drucker left!